The Berlin Philharmonic's newly appointed chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko, has already had to deal with anti-Semitic abuse over his new position. While he remains tight-lipped on all matters, the orchestra has taken the opportunity to introduce their new leader via a free website.
Petrenko initially found himself in the middle of a heated debate over his new appointment to the Berlin Philharmonic. Having contended for the position with the German-born Christian Thielemann, a German radio station Thielemann in a most impolite way. Originally stating that a German-born conductor had deeper roots in the "tradition" of German music, the conversation then veered towards anti-Semitism, going so far as to compare Petrenko to a "tiny gnome, the Jewish caricature."
Those comments have since been deleted.
In spite of the controversy, the Russian-born Petrenko, known for his shyness and refusal to do press, remains silent on the matter.
Thus, in order to introduce him to the public, the orchestra has compiled a few short interviews and concerts into a one-stop show for everything Kirill.
As the website reads, Petrenko said of his new job:
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